Sebastian Coates: My future at Liverpool is not in my hands

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Sebastian Coates has dropped a massive hint that his future might be away from Liverpool.

The Uruguayan international picked up a serious injury last season, which saw him spend most part of the previous campaign on the sidelines. He was signed for £5m from Nacional in 2011 and has seen his appearances being limited since his move to Anfield.

Brendan Rodgers signed Dejan Lovren from Southampton and the arrival of the Croatian international has seen Coates drop further down the pecking order. The 23-year-old is now behind, Lovren, Martin Sktrel, Mamadou Sakho and Daniel Agger.

“The tour has been great for me. This pre-season is really important as I need to get as many minutes as I can. Last season was really difficult. I had a bad injury and after being out for so long it’s great to be back fit,” Coates told the Liverpool ECHO.

“I try always to give my best and I know I need to improve more on the others years that I’ve been here. The manager is watching me closely, like he is with all the other players, and I need to keep performing well.

“It’s good for the club to have signed a player like Lovren and it’s good for me to have that kind of competition as you always learn from playing with good players.

“I would like to stay at Liverpool and play but that’s not just down to me. It depends on the manager and the club. They will decide what happens.

“After being out for so long, I need to play. If I do stay I want to play more than I did in the other years,” the Uruguayan centre-back added.

The defender had an impressive pre-season tour with his current employers in the US, where they lost to their arch-rivals Manchester United 3-1 in the finals.

Coates is likely to spend most of his time on the bench if he continues at Liverpool. Lack of playing time with the Merseyside club could see the Reds cash in on the player. There could be a possibility that he could leave the club in the ongoing summer transfer window, if the Anfield club receive an offer.

But Rodgers could hold on to his player as Agger’s future at Liverpool remains uncertain. The Danish international has been linked with a move from Anfield, with Barcelona keen on securing his services.